Nielsen’s Nook

Translation

[ 1 We pray that you would be strong, [a] brothers, following the word of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel. [b] Glory to God is with Jesus [c] on account of the salvation of the holy elect; [d] just as the blessed Polycarp was martyred, in whose footsteps may we be found in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.] [e]

[a] Ἐρρῶσθαι perfect passive, to be strong (BAGD, 738).

[b] Stephen’s 1550 Textus Receptus version of Philippians 3:16 reads, πλην εις ο εφθασαμεν τω αυτω στοιχειν κανονι το αυτο φρονειν. Only that we follow what we have attained (author’s translation).

[c] μεθ ̓ οὗ Jesus, the antecedent for the pronoun οὗ for readability.

[d] ἁγίων ἐκλεκτῶν is a pair of substantives consisting of a tautological emphasis of each other. To say “for the salvation of the elect” is the same as to say “for the salvation of the saints/holy ones.”

[e] §22.1 is omitted from the Latin and Codex Mosquensis 159 but is included in a Greek Manuscript from the tenth to thirteenth centuries (Holmes, Apostolic Fathers, 244).

Translation

1 The blessed Polycarp was martyred on the second of the month of Xanthicus, [a] seven days before the calends [b] of March, on a great sabbath, during the eighth hour. He was apprehended by Herod during the time while Philipp of Tralles was high priest, while Statius Quadratus was proconsul, [c] and while Jesus Christ reigns for ever. To him be the glory, honor, majesty, the eternal throne from generation to generation. Amen.

[a] μηνὸς Ξανθικοῦ δευτέρᾳ ἱσταμένου, πρὸ ἑπτὰ καλανδῶν Μαρτίων i.e., February 22. See entry for μήν, μηνός, ὁ in BAGD, 518. Michael Holmes indicates that Eusebius’ mention of the year of St. Polycarp’s martyrdom as 167 AD is suspect. “Evidence that has come to light regarding the proconsulship of Statius Quadratus has led many to adopt a date around 156; this comports well with the fact that not long before his arrest Polycarp visited Bishop Anicetus of Rome, who became bishop there no earlier than 154.” (Holmes, The Apostolic Fathers : Greek Texts and English Translations (Updated ed.; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 1999), 223).

[b] καλάνδαι “the first day of the month in the Roman calendar” (BAGD, 398).

[c] ἀνθυπατεύοντος to be proconsul (BAGD, 69). Acts 18:12 in the Byzantine Text form we read Γαλλίωνος δὲ ἀνθυπατεύοντος  τῆς Ἀχαΐας… When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (author’s translation).

Translation

1 Finally, after the lawless ones saw that Polycarp’s body could not be consumed [a] by the fire, they ordered an executioner [b] to approach and run him through [c] with a short sword. [d] After the executioner did this, a great quantity[e] of blood came [f] from Polycarp’s body, so that the fire was extinguished. The entire crowd was amazed that [g] there was so stark a difference between [h] the faithless and the elect.

[a] δαπανηθῆναι (δαπανάω) The proconsul had threatened to consume St. Polycarp with flames in §11.2; here the same word for consume is used showing that the proconsul has been thwarted.

[b] The κομφέκτωρ was the executioner on hand in the arena who “gave the coup de grâce to wounded gladiators” (BAGD, 443). Indeed, St. Polycarp had taken on a wild lion but the lawless crowd. The executioner came not to end the suffering but to allow the proconsul to not lose control of the crowd that he might save face.

[c] παραβῦσαι (παραβύσω) to stuff or insert (Liddell, H.G., Intermediate Greek English Lexicon, 594). Liddell further notes, regarding βύω (βύω > βύσω > παραβύσω), that when used with the dative it may mean to stop or to bung up with, to plug (p 158).

[d] ξιφίδιον short sword, dagger (BAGD, 548).

[e] πλῆθος BAGD, 668.

[f] περιστερὰ καὶ “and a dove” is noted in Lightfoot as questionable. The shorter reading being preferred, it is omitted here. Lake writes in a footnote, “This no doubt points to the belief that the spirit appears at death in the form of a bird. Cf. Prudentius Peristeph Hymn. iii. 33.” (Apostolic Fathers, vol 2, p 333). Holmes annotates, “The reference to the dove is almost certainly a later addition to the text (possibly by the Pionius mentioned in the last paragraph of the epilogue” (The Apostolic Fathers, 239).

[g] εἰ after verbs of emotion (i.e., θαυμάσαι) is rendered as “that” (BAGD, 219).

[h] τις διαφορὰ μεταξὺ a difference between someone and another (BAGD, 190), which in this case is between the faithless (ἀπίστων) and the elect or those God has chose for salvation (ἐκλεκτῶν). Consider Didache 1:1, Ὁδοὶ δύο εἰσί, μία τῆς ζωῆς καὶ μία τοῦ θανάτου, διαφορὰ δὲ πολλὴ μεταξὺ τῶν δύο όδῶν. There are two ways. One is of life and one is of death, and the difference between the two is great (author’s translation). See also the Epistle of Barnabas 18:1, διαφορὰ δὲ πολλὴ τῶν δύο ὁδῶν. There is a great difference between the two [ways] (author’s translation).

Translation

2 For the fire (which made the appearance of a vaulted ceiling, [1] like a ship’s sail being filled by wind) completely enclosed [2] the body of the martyr. It was there in the midst of the flames, not as burning flesh, [3] but as gold and silver being smelted in a furnace. For we also noticed such a fragrance like incense rising [4] from a thurible [5] or some other precious perfume.

[1] καμάρας vault, vaulted ceiling, arch. This word appears only once in all of scripture and does not seem to appear frequently in general. Psalm 40:22b (LXX) reads ὁ στήσας ὡς καμάραν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ διατείνας ὡς σκηνὴν κατοικεῖν, … [It is the Lord] who erected the heavens as a vaulted ceiling and stretched it out as a tent to indwell (author’s translation).

[2] BAGD renders κύκλῳ περιετείχισεν as completely surrounded. καμάρας is imagined in a three dimensional way (i.e. as a vaulted ceiling with supporting walls and floor), so we render κύκλῳ περιετείχισεν as completely enclose (or perhaps envelope).

[3] ἄρτος ὀπτώμενος, ἢ ὡς (”a loaf in the oven or like”) is noted by Lightfoot as being questionable, perhaps “nothing more than Irenæus’ own comments.” (Lightfoot, Joseph Barber, and J. R. Harmer. The Apostolic Fathers. (London: Macmillan and Co., 1891) 195). Consequently, we are opting for the shorter reading as preferred and omitted this phrase from our translation.

[4] πνέοντος breathing out, giving forth (BAGD, 679).

[5] λιβανωτοῦ (λιβανωτός) incense or censer. Here we break with previous translations. Lightfoot renders λιβανωτοῦ πνέοντος as “wafted odour of frankincense,” which is to us aesthetically less pleasing. While Lake and Holmes do a much better job aesthetically rendering the phrase as “the scent of incense,” we feel translating λιβανωτός as thurible (i.e., censer used in religious worship), more specifically connects with the worship tropes running throughout the work (e.g., §14.2) and, perhaps, more explicitly the eschatological worship of Revelation 8:3-5.